Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) EVP Sells $2,716,000.00 in Stock

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,064,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $103,252,135. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Walmart Stock Down 1.4%

Walmart stock traded down $1.33 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $96.48. The stock had a trading volume of 15,702,512 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,851,654. The company has a market cap of $771.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.03, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The business's 50 day moving average price is $91.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.70. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $64.16 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Operose Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 319.7% in the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. increased its holdings in Walmart by 98.2% in the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WMT. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price objective (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $104.94.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.

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